The Vorpal Blade
by I Don't Know What I Am Doing
Summary: It happened to fast, the dagger was thrown, they fell to the floor. And now… the race is on, to save a life and pull apart the lies. One-sided Merganna, (Two-sided if you ask nicely.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One- An Unexpected Target.

Set after The Crystal Cave.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

Being a servant when the Pendragons are dining together, is more stressful than it should be, Merlin thought to himself. Between trying not to drop anything, resisting the urge to make the food dance (just to see Uthur's reaction), paying attention to what Arthur wanted him to do and having glaring matches with Morgana, he barely had time to breath. On top of that, he felt like he was being watched. Everyone knows that feeling, that knowledge that if anything scares you, you will either scream or punch it… or both.

"Merlin." Arthur said, gesturing to his empty cup.

He rolled his eyes. Why did royalty insist on drinking wine so much? How did they not get drunk?

"Merlin."

Oh right, wine. Merlin moved to step forward and found that he couldn't. He tried to step back, it didn't work. Panic started to bubble inside him, he couldn't move. Gwen was looking at him, obviously confused.

"Don't get involved." A voice whispered, next to his ear.

His eyes widened. That voice!

There was the slight sound of disembodied footsteps. Morgana looked around, feeling like she was being watched. The door to the dining area opened slightly, before loudly slamming shut.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the door. Arthur bolted up out of his seat, hand placed on his sword.

A purple glow began near the door. The prince unsheathed his sword, pointing it at obvious magic… like it would do anything. The purple light shifted and solidified into a human shadow. Then out of the shadow rose a young lady.

Straight raven hair flowed down to her elbows, while a metal flower, kept her fringe out of a pair of sparkling blue eyes. A long sleeved shirt and a pair of men's trousers covered her lanky form. Strapped to her waist was a most sinister looking knife.

She leaned against the door and began to speak. "Magical woman appears dramatically, waits for admiring applause… no applause."

"Guards!" Uthur bellowed, jumping to his feet.

"No point calling for them," The woman said, in a matter of fact voice. "I knocked them out… with a bit of wood."

Merlin glared at her, trying to move and mentally projected his thoughts in to her head. 'What are you doing?'

She flinched and began to skip over to Gwen. "Stay away from her." Arthur commanded, his sword now pointing at the interloper.

"Why?" Drawing the dagger, she began to walk towards him. "My blade has not come for her."

They were now but a few feet away from each other. A look between the two of them, wordlessly said what was about to happen. Merlin struggled against his magic bonds. 'Don't you dare.'

The raven haired girl ducked, as a sword whizzed above her head. She kicked Arthur's unprotected shin. Morgana watched on with eager eyes.

"Were you trying to cut my head off?" The prince blocked her attack. "Because if you were, that's really rude!"

This continued for about a minute, sharpen metal darting back and forth, no one bleeding. Suddenly the girl slammed her elbow, into the prince's gut and knocked him to the ground. A dagger was placed dangerously close to his neck.

"Worry not, young Pendragon, the blade is not here for you, either."

She walked away from him and stared at Uthur.

"Or you, you murdering, fat headed, troll snogging hypocrite!"

Morgana suddenly found a gaze like no other upon her. It was a mixer of pity, mistrust, anger and… hate. This girl hated her. Why?

"That's right." The girl smiled a cruel smirk and raised the knife up high. "A gift from me to you!"

With that the dagger was released and speed towards her. There was no time for her magic to respond. Time seemed to slow, there was the sound of something snapping and she closed her eyes.

A crunch, a gasp and the weapon collided with human flesh. A loud cry of 'No' came from all in the room, save her and Uthur. Blood splattered on her dress and face. Her eyes flew open.

Merlin swayed, his body placed protectively in front of her. The blade shimmered and moved, like it was made from clay. The hilt flattened against his chest as it moulded into his skin. He fell to the floor, his blood pooling out, a black scar shining like glass. Morgana's eyes stared at him, then looked up to the girl.

The woman's hands had flown to her mouth and tears were flowing down her face. Her eyes looked up at Morgana, with shock and horror. "No." She said through muffled hands.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- Dying?

My Internet was down, sorry.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

The girl had been dragged off to the dungeons, in a crying mess and Merlin had been carried off to Gaius. Morgana had been lead back to her chambers by Gwen, who had draped a blanket over her shoulders and ran off.

Light shone in through the window. A thrush sang outside. A horse whinnied loudly. It seemed like a good day, it was a good day.

She looked down at the blood on her dress. Merlin's blood. That moment replayed again and again. He poisoned her. She hated him. They were enemies. He saved her life. He was probably dying. She hated him… didn't she? Her head hurt.

* * *

Gwen had never seen Gaius move that quickly. The blood was cleared away in a matter of minutes, revealing the wound… except it wasn't. In the place where there should be broken flesh and blood, there was ebony coloured glass. It blended with his skin, almost as if it was part of him. Gaius ran his finger over it, and jerked it away as blue energy shot up at him.

"Gaius!" Gwen bolted over to him. "Gaius are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He reached for Merlin's neck and felt his pulse. "It was a dagger you say?"

"Yes. It sort of melted into him. Why?"

"He isn't loosing any blood, his vitals are normal, it almost like he's sleeping." Gaius said, frowning.

* * *

Arthur sat in the stairwell, glaring at the sign that read, 'Court Physician'. He really hated this part… waiting. A handsome, hero of a prince, was useful in a fight, but not when someone was dying. All he could do was make them die faster. He wouldn't do that to Merlin. Arthur chewed his fingernail, his friend was probably dying and he was helpless.

A stomping of shoes brought him out of his thoughts. Morgana had made her way up the stairs and was now staring at him. Quickly wiping away tears, the prince jumped to his feat. "Morgana!"

"You're in my way."

"Gaius says no-one's allowed to enter."

"I need to see!" She snapped angry.

Arthur frowned at her. If he wasn't allowed in, she defiantly wasn't.

* * *

The door to the physician's chambers was kicked open. Morgana stalked into the room, her green eyes daring someone to challenge her. Arthur stumbled into the room after her. "I'm sorry I tried to stop her…" Then he noticed the looks on their faces. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Gaius brushed away his tears. "I don't know."

"What?" Morgana stared at him in disbelief.

When Gaius said nothing, Gwen spoke up. "His pulse is steady, he's not bleeding anymore and he's breathing just fine. The only thing wrong is… he won't wake up."

Arthur blinked a couple of times and looked over to his manservant. It looked like he was only sleeping. He walked over and let his eyes go to the glass.

"I think it might be a enchanted sleep." Gaius finished hesitantly.

"Might?" Arthur felt anger rising up inside him. "You're not sure?"

"It was meant for me." Morgana mumbled numbly.

"Oh, shut up!" Gaius snapped. "He's dying and all you can do is think of yourself?"

"Well excuse me for living!"

"Wait a minute, dying? You said he was sleeping!"

"I'm not sure what's happing!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Don't shout at Gaius!"

"I wasn't you were!"

"Shut up, both of you!"

"Don't tell me to shut up! I'm a prince!"

"Yeah! A rubbish one!"

"Shut your mouth Morgana!"

"Make me!"

"SILENCE!"

The entire room fell into shock, all eyes turned to a furious Gwen. When she spoke again her voice was low and dangerous.

"The only person who has information on the dagger, will be that sorceress. So, why doesn't someone go down and ask her?"

No-body moved. Gwen's piercing stare rivalled Morgana's. "Now!"

* * *

He was falling. That was all he knew. Falling. Falling. Falling. Why was he falling? His hair ruffled in the wind and his eyes flicked around. Everywhere he looked was white. He was surround by an impossible white space.

"Who am I?" He wondered aloud.

An echoing laughter filled the nothingness. It sounded both friendly and sinister.

"I apologise for answering a question, with a question. But, dose it really matter?"

"Where am I?"

More laughter. "Why, where you have always been and where you will always be. You are simply deeper, that's all."

What was that in the distance?

"Deeper." The voice breathed. "Go deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper."

Then he fell.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Trust Me.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

Arthur and Morgana half walked, half ran, to the castle dungeons. When had Gwen gotten so scary? They moved quickly down the stairs and stop dead. The cell door was swinging open and the guards were unconscious. A small music box sat on the table playing music.

Arthur smiled a bit, what a nice tune. Then the ground rushed up to him. Morgana step sided as the prince crashed to the floor. She looked to the sleeping man and then to the music box. Feeling a bit dizzy she marched over and snapped it shut. The urge to melt into the floor subsided.

Stalking back over to Arthur, she kicked him. Groggily he began to sit up… then went back down. The music box was once again open. Frowning Morgana closed it. This time she only took a few steps before it re-opened.

She snapped it closed and held the lid down. Morgana, the rightful queen of Camelot would not be out smarted by a box! Then something sharp and wet stabbed into her hand. She lashed out blindly with her fist.

There was a strangled cry, a flash of purple light and the raven haired girl came into sight. She looked at Morgana with shock and accusation. "You punched me!"

"You bit me."

"I'm going to get a bruise now!"

"I don't give a damn about your bruise, I am actually bleeding."

"You didn't even make a fist properly, thumbs go on the outside."

"What is wrong with your teeth?"

Now this argument could have gone on for quite some time, fortunately Arthur woke. A sword was pointed at the girl.

"Oh, hi there." She said, eyeing the sharp metal.

"What's happing to my manservant?"

The smug expression dropped from her face. It was replaced by a worried one. "Damn it, I thought… I had hoped…" She straightened up and glared at Arthur. "You will take me to him."

"Why?" Morgana asked.

"Because he's… I wasn't aiming for him and if you don't take me to him, he'll die."

* * *

Gwen looked up as the door swung open. Arthur and Morgana entered the room. There was a purple flash and the girl came into view. "You won't regret this." She said happily and dashed over to Merlin.

Suddenly Gaius, who had been standing in the corner, strode over to the girl and slapped her upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell? Crazy old men shouldn't attack crazy young women!" She snapped, quickly darting away from the angry physician.

"She's agreed to heal Merlin." Arthur cut in.

"What? Heal? No, healing would be easy," She pulled a small bottle from her sleeve. "This, is very complicated."

"How, so?"

"It's not an enchanted dagger, it's an Alice Weapon, the Vorpal Blade to be exact."

This time she managed to duck. "I won't work until he stops attacking me!"

"Um…" Gwen began. "What is an Alice weapon?"

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- An Awful Lot of Dialogue.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

The girl smiled at Gwen. "A good question, with a good answer. Which I'm not going to tell you."

Shaking the tiny bottle, she held it over the scar in Merlin's bare chest. Had he gotten more scars, since she last saw him? Blue energy shot up from the wound and circled around her hand. The clear liquid in the bottle began to move up, pressing against the lid. Her hand was burning and an electrifying pain ran through her body. The liquid turned blue and she ripped away from the energy.

"Tell us, what are Alice Weapons?" Morgana demanded, flicking her hair.

The girl frowned. Why couldn't this double crossing idiot of a seer, shut up?

"They're weapons made by a person named Alice. Is that good enough for you?"

"No."

She sighed and placed the bottle on the table. "Oi, Blondie! Tell me when it turns purple."

Reaching into her sleeve she pulled out a blue pendent. "The Alice Weapons are a set of daggers, no one is sure how many. They were forged and designed by a dragon… a dragon turned human."

"Her descendants were the Dragon Lords." Gaius said, in his wise man voice.

"And her name was Alice! End of lesson." The girl chimed in, happily.

She could feel Gaius's raised eyebrow. She could actually feel it. Her eyes glowed gold, as did the pendent, before fading back to it's normal colour. "Also legend has it, that the daggers can be used as keys, to access the unseen dimensions that borderline on ours. But that's not important." She said quickly, before looking down at her fascinating shoes.

"What?" Arthur, stared at the girl, utter disbelief written on his face. "What?!"

"You sent Merlin to another dimension?" Gwen asked, looking horrified.

"By ascendent."

There was a pause.

"Yeah, that's never been a good excuse for me." The girl said, rubbing the back of her neck. "In my defence I was aiming for her… that's a bad excuse as well."

"You sent Merlin to another dimension?" Morgana asked, irritably.

"Technically, I sent him to his own dimension. The Vorpal Blade sends you into the dimension of Unconsciousness, which is why he's unconscious… and trapped inside his own mind. Once again, not important." The girl said quickly.

Arthur spluttered. "What do you mean not important? You've trapped him in a… mind dimension, and you don't think it's important?"

She shrugged. "Not really. What's important is that he'll die if he stays there to long."

Before Arthur could decapitate her, Gwen stepped in. "So, how do we get him out?"

"We go after him, which might be dangerous."

"How?"

"With…" She trailed off. "Has it turned purple yet?"

"Um… no."

"Good, it's not supposed to." She snatched up the bottle. "We drink this and it will send us in."

"We?" Arthur asked.

"Well, you obviously don't trust me enough to go alone, so… who's coming?"

"I am!" Arthur and Gwen said at the same time.

Morgana however hesitated. Was she really considering going on a quest to save Merlin? Her sworn enemy Merlin? Her eyes went the sleeping man's face. So peaceful. She needed to know. "I'll go."

The girl glared at Morgana. "Fine, what about you Eyebrow Man?"

Gaius shook his head. "I'm to old for this sort of thing."

The girl nodded and began to mutter under her breath. The blue pendent in her hand shifted and split into four. Looping one around her neck, she held out the others.

"What are they?" Arthur asked suspiciously.

"Pretty necklaces, you'll look fabulous, put one on."

"Don't think I didn't see you enchanting it… them."

She sighed. "They're fail safe pendents. If we die in his mind we'll wake up."

Morgana and Gwen each put on a pendent. Arthur however remanded sceptical. "You think we might die in Merlin's mind?"

An icy stare was his answer. "Your wasting time, do you want him dead?"

The blue pendent was snatched out of her hand. The girl took a small sip from the bottle and passed it around.

"Right, very quickly before we go in. Our bodies will remain here, Blondie you look fabulous and so do the rest of you." The girl smiled a big smile. "Also, my name is Ebony, if anyone was curious."

Then they fell.

* * *

What do you think they will discover in Merlin's mind? Does anyone care about Ebony's name? And who is this Ebony person anyway?

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five- Clumsiness, Corridors & Cats.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

For a few unending moments there was nothing. Nothing except a continuous white space. Then suddenly and unexpectedly the ground appeared from nowhere.

Gwen groaned and pulled herself up, swaying unsteadily. "Something is wrong here." She heard Arthur say.

"It would appear the floor is tilted to the left." Ebony mused.

She was in fact correct. The checkerboard, tiled floor was not on even ground. The stone walls went straight up and down. They appeared to be in a corridor, which had one small door at the end. It was a door for mouses or something. It was painted blue and was halfway up the wall.

Gwen nodded and let out a shriek as she slipped. Arthur reached to help her and ended up flat on his face, with Gwen onto of him.

"Are you two having fun down there?" Morgana asked smirking.

The seer had managed to keep her balance and was gloating. This was remedied, when she was pushed over by someone very familiar.

Hearing Morgana's yelp, Arthur twisted himself around to see. "Merlin?"

A loud and mischievous laughter filled the corridor. The man somehow stood on the floor, almost doubled over with mirth. Black cat ears poked out through short messy hair and a tail flicked back and forth. "How does it feel to be clumsy? How does it feel to have no sense of balance? How does it feel to…"

This monologue was cut short by a 'manly' scream as Ebony tackled him. The two of them slid into the wall. "Foolish woman!" He exclaimed. "You interrupted my moment of glory!"

"Merlin? Is that you?"

"Um… no. Close but no."

"So who are you?" Morgana asked irritably, her dislike for Merlin increasing by the second.

"An aspect of him. A shadow, a thought, a dream."

"With… cat ears?" Arthur asked sceptically, now sitting against the wall, Gwen next to him.

"Yep!" The not-Merlin said happily.

"Why?"

"I don't know, better than donkey ears."

Gwen giggled at the memory, giggling even more as Arthur blushed. Morgana laughed out loud, the not-Merlin joined her.

Ebony however, who was leaning against the not-Merlin, was confused. "What? What's funny about donkey ears?"

This comment broke Gwen, who began to howl with laughter. "What?"

"Can I… can I tell her?"

"No!"

* * *

It took a few moments for everyone to calm down.

"So, if you're not Merlin, then where is he?" Arthur said, his voice full of authority.

"Through that door over there." The not-Merlin said, pointing towards the blue door. "But I must warn you, there are many doors and rooms, and to unlock each door you all must pass a challenge. If you fail than the door will not open."

"A challenge?"

"A challenge!"

"But…" Gwen carefully walked over to the door. "It's tiny."

He smiled. "And that's the challenge. How does one move through a door which is far to small?"

The not-Merlin pulled a box out of nowhere and tossed it to Arthur. Upon opening it, a bottle of liquid (with 'drink me' inscribed in the bottle) and a small cake (which had 'eat me' written in frosting) was discovered.

"One makes you grow and one makes you shrink. Use them wisely."

Arthur frowned. "Which one makes you shrink?"

"Not important."

Not important? Good heavens why did this keep happening?

"How will they help us pass through this door?" Morgana asked. "For even if we did shrink ourselves to fit, the door would be to high up to reach."

"And we'd fall sideways due to this floor." Gwen pointed out.

The not-Merlin considered this, then slammed his hand on a tile. The floor suddenly fell flat… as did everyone in the room, onto their faces. This sent the cat eared man into another fit of hysterics. "Is that better?" He laughed.

Gwen slowly stood, pulling hair out of her eyes. "Yes, thank you."

"So, does the cake make things shrink?" Ebony asked, pulling the box towards her.

"Nope! Try again!"

Ebony took the cake and walked over to the door. She then proceeded to knock on the door… with the cake. The door creaked, groaned, expanded and swung open. The slightly squashed cake was passed to a bewildered Arthur.

"Problem?"

The not-Merlin pouted, before bursting into laughter. "Very well, have this triumph! But, there are many trials ahead, each more difficult than the last."

With that he cackled and sunk through the floor.

"I am worried about my manservant's mental health."

* * *

Technically this is an Alice in Wonderland thing… I do not own Alice in Wonderland.

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- All Mad Here.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

Ebony skipped through the door happily, she felt awfully clever. Instead of a small cramped hallway this room was a forest. Lush green trees sprouted out of the ground. Music filled the air, as a harp played softly in the distance. The sun was half covered with a cloud that looked a bit like a rabbit.

"So, what's this supposed to be?" Morgana asked.

"A tree convention." Ebony replied, catching a falling leaf and placing it in her sleeve.

Some people may question the logic of keeping random things in your sleeves… and they have a right to, that's weird.

"Hey, where has the door gone?" Gwen asked, timidly.

Turning around there was no door, only more trees. "Come on." Arthur said. "There's no point hanging around here."

With that he marched off into the forest.

* * *

"Are we there yet? Are we lost?"

Morgana sneered at the irritating girl. Why was she asked questions like a four year old? "We're lost, aren't we? Blondie's got us lost! He is directionally challenged!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Morgana spotted Arthur's hand resting on his sword. She smirked and wondered who would try to kill Ebony first. Suddenly the girl in question feel silent and stood still. She tilted her head, alert blue eyes darted about. Then she gasped and tackled Gwen to the floor, just as a plate whizzed over the servant's head and crashed into a tree.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, rushing over to the two of them.

Morgana didn't hear the reply. For after passing a few trees she happened upon a long table in a clearing. The table top was covered in fruit, cake, pies and other good things. Several flowers were growing out of the table, but the oddest thing was the food. It was moving, plates were floating, bowls were spinning and silverware was sliding along the table. There was something magical about this place. A cup flew past her ear and disappeared into the forest.

Seated at this table of dancing food were three children. A boy with light brown hair and a smile that screamed trouble maker. A girl with dark brown pigtails who looked cute, but there was something about her… The last and most noticeable child, had jet black hair and was wearing a blindfold. He calmly ate a strawberry, while the other two argued and threw things at each other. For some reason, the three of them were all at one end of the table.

"I stopped a plate from hitting her face, why are you mad at me?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're an insane sorcerous and…"

"I am not a sorcerous!" Ebony snapped angrily. "I am a she-warlock!"

"A what?"

Arthur, Gwen and Ebony had entered the clearing. "You're an idiot why am I even talking to you?"

The prince opened his mouth to retort, then he spotted the table. "What the?"

Slightly unsure of what to do, he walked towards the table. He had almost reached one of the chairs, when a spoon hit his arm. The boy and girl glared at him. "No room."

Arthur quickly counted all the chairs, there were sixteen. "There's plenty of room."

"No there isn't." The boy snapped at him.

"Yes there is." The little girl retorted.

"Who's side are you on?"

"Not yours, because your stupid!"

The two resumed throwing things at the other. The blindfolded kid reached for another strawberry. Gwen leapt forward when the little girl pulled out an axe. When the weapon was taken of her, she burst into tears. The boy grinned and poked out his tongue.

"I saw that." Gwen announced.

"But… your back was turned."

"Never underestimate a parent." Ebony said, sitting down at the table.

"I'm not a parent."

Ebony's eyes went to Arthur, who had also sat down. "Not yet."

"You, small people." Arthur said changing the subject. "We are looking for Merlin, do you know where he is?"

* * *

In the coming chapters I'm thinking of using the shrinking liquid. So… who do you want me to shrink?

"Shrink Blondie!"

"What? No!"

"Or the smirky twit."

"You try that… AND I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Fine, how about Gwen?"

"How about you?"

"How about THE TUMBLR DALEK?!"

… Ebony that's not an option.

"Shrink Potter!"

Draco? What are you doing here? How did you get in here?

"In-tru-da-window!"

"What?"

"I'm an intruder. I'm not supposed to be in this fan-fiction."

"What's fan-fiction?"

Shut up you idiots!

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven- Lots of Questions set at a Table in Merlin's Mind.

Thank you Compliment Giver for assistance in spelling. Now, regarding the she-warlock. Yes, I did know that the opposite of warlock is witch, however Ebony would prefer to introduce herself as:

"Ebony the first and last she-warlock, owner of the legendary Vorpal Blade!"

Instead of:

"Hi, I'm Ebony. I'm a witch, that means I fall into the same category as them." Points at Morgause and Morgana. "Also I own a special knife."

So basically, she's a bit of a show off.

"What? No I'm not..."

* * *

"Merlin?" The boy asked. "What is a merlin?"

"Isn't a merlin a bird?"

"I like birds."

"No merlins here, you must be lost."

Arthur frowned. The way these two were talking, quickly with no eye contact. They were stalling and lying. Why? "Merlin is a friend of mine. I need to find him." He said.

The little girl sucked on her pigtail and avoided eye contact. "Why?" She questioned, hugging the arm of the blindfolded one. "What happens if you don't find him?"

"He'll die." Morgana said, still unsure of how she felt about that.

The boy and little girl shared a look. "We promised…"

"But, we can't let him die…"

"Maybe if we don't mention 'that thing'…"

They both nodded. The boy pointed off to the right. "Through that door."

Gwen frowned her eyes seeing only trees. "What door?" She asked.

"Good heavens it's gone. That's very inconvenient." The little girl said in a rush.

"What do you mean gone?" Gwen asked.

"She means it's not there anymore."

"I know what she meant."

"Then why did you ask?" Ebony questioned, smiling cheekily.

Morgana growled under her breath. Did this Ebony woman have issues with taking things seriously? All three of the children were smiling. At lest someone was happy. That was another thing annoying her. "Who are you three?"

"No-one." The boy said solemnly. "Flickering candles in the night. Marks in the dust."

"We're memories." The little girl said.

Gwen's eyes widened. "Childhood friends."

The boy and little girl nodded. Arthur suddenly realised the boy was Will. But, who were the other two?

"What about you, Blindfold? Are you another not-Merlin?" Ebony asked, skilfully slipping a spoon up her sleeve.

He nodded. "Why are you wearing a blindfold?" Morgana asked.

"If they see his eyes they'll will kill him." The not-Will said.

Arthur blinked in shock. What? Who would kill someone because of their eyes? Before he could ask, Ebony spoke. "Anyway… the cat not-Merlin said we need to complete a challenge to open a door."

"A challenge?"

"A challenge!"

"Oh!" The little girl exclaimed. "The door will show up when you complete the challenge!"

"Great." Arthur said, pleased that the conversation was finally going somewhere. "What's the challenge?"

"Um… balance twenty spoons on your nose?" Not-Will suggested.

"Lick your elbow!" The little girl declared.

"Divide by potato."

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

"Make lead float."

"Find out where the harp music is coming from."

"Don't blink!"

"Eat a spoonful of cinnamon without chocking to death."

"Cut down the mightiest tree in the forest, with a herring!"

"Rescue the baby." The child not-Merlin said.

"What baby?" Gwen asked.

"She stole the baby. You have to steal it back." He said softly. "The Duchess must not have the baby. It's not safe."

"Where's the baby?"

With a wave of his hand, the not-Will left his seat and gave Gwen a piece of parchment. "This map will lead you to the Duchess's tent. But be careful."

With that he fell back into silence.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight- Where the Stuff that Happens in Chapter Eight Happens.

This chapter contains a reference to self harm. I thought I should let you know.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

"I think this map was written by a five year old." Arthur commented.

"Having trouble?" Morgana sneered.

"No." He lied and went back to glaring at the map.

They had left soon after receiving the map and had promptly gotten lost… again. Arthur and Morgana walked hastily, side by side, arguing. Gwen followed as fast as she could, chewing her fingernails nervously. If these challenges weren't completed in time, Merlin would die. How much time had they wasted already?

"The Unconscious Realm works at a different time to our realm." Ebony said, suddenly appearing next to Gwen.

The maid muffled a scream. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing you just scared me a bit. What do you mean different time?"

"Well, sometimes it's faster and sometimes it's slower." Ebony said cheerfully.

Gwen frowned a bit trying to stop herself from worrying. She should focus on something else. "Why are you helping us?"

Ebony looked downwards at her hands, a million thoughts spinning through her mind. Picking one she answered. "Guilt."

"I've never meet one of your kind, that felt guilty about hurting others."

Ebony let out a hollow laugh. "My kind? By that I assume your talking about the monsters." She smiled at Gwen's shocked facial expression. "Just because you didn't say it, doesn't mean you didn't think it."

Gwen looked away from the girl's piercing blue eyes. Before she could speak, a strong smell filled her nostrils.

"Is it just me, or can you smell smoke?" Morgana asked.

Looking up, the sky was filling with dark smoke. The wind changed bringing a baby's cry towards them. Without anyone saying a word, they all began to run. Sticks scratched at their legs, as the smoke became thicker. The forest opened into another clearing. Within the clearing there was a camp, a druid camp and it was burning. Skidding to a halt, Arthur stared at the destruction. A baby's scream came from within the flames. All hesitated, save one. Gwen charged into the burning camp. "Gwen!" Arthur shouted and ran after her.

Ashes fell around her as she ran, weaving her way through tents. It didn't even register that she was being followed. The pendent around her neck hummed, aware of the present danger. The sound of fire roared and there was hissing in her eyes but, she focused on the child's cry. The noise led her to a burning tent skeleton. Within it was a cot, ablaze with fire. Half blinded by smoke she reached in and pulled out a trembling bundle. Suddenly both the fire and the crying stopped.

The camp was charred and swayed in the wind. Morgana brushed tears from her eyes. Her heart went out to the druids, for they were the first people to make her feel comfort about her magic. "Now that's odd." Ebony breathed.

"What is?" Arthur snapped.

"The pattern of the fire." She spun around. "A perfect circle."

The baby giggled. Gwen looked down to see, an adorable child. It's features were fae like and a cute little smile was upon it's face. It was hard to define the child's gender. It's eyes fluttered open, just for a second, but Gwen saw it. It's eyes were a bright, stunning, beautiful gold.

* * *

Her home and her family had been destroyed. There was nothing for her. Tears dripped down her face. It had been almost a year since the Purge. Like many others of her kind she was still grieving. Dressed in black she wandered to and fro looking for a calling. Duchess Patricia of the Fallen Castle made her way into a small village. Due to her cloaking spell they payed her no heed.

She was quite unsure of why her magic had lead her here. So, very close to Camelot, the kingdom of murderers. Patricia's lips curled into a sneer. How had she fallen so low? Many a man had thought her beautiful, but not anymore. Deep scars plastered her body, some of them from her own blade. Her once flawless hair was now full of knots and dirt. She was a wretched sight and the clouds above seemed to darken at her presence.

The magic in her twitched and began to guide her through the village. She looked up and her eyes focused. "Emrys." She whispered hoarsely.

There he was, cradled in the arms of a young woman. He was so young, so many days ahead of him. That was the moment when she thought she understood. "This girl can not possibly know of the prophecies." She muttered to herself. "She hides him, she will raise him wrongly."

An awful plan with twisted logic began to hatch in her mind. A small part of her begged against it, warned her not to. "I will teach him of Uthur and his brat. I will teach how to fight and how to kill. Magic will return."

The image of her own children, her husband and her sisters flashed before her. She would do this for them. No more would die. She felt hopeful and excited. However a small part of her wept, for like many others, the Purge had made her quite mad.

* * *

The story is going to be a little darker from here on in. But I'm still going to shrink someone… no one has voted yet. :(

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine- When in Doubt Run Like Mad.

Yeah, so I changed the way the chapter ended. The other one didn't suit it properly.

I have returned from travels you didn't know I was on. All I can say is it was very cold where I was. I couldn't feel my fingers. And it didn't snow… therefor it was cold without my consent.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, his voice full of concern.

Gwen blushed at his closeness to her and nodded. Her eye went down to the infant, surely she had been mistaken. She let her gaze wander back to Arthur who, satisfied that she was fine, had gone back to glaring at the map.

"We should head back." He said.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea, let's go, right now!" Ebony said hastily, moving backwards.

The wind began to pick up. Leaves spun pointlessly and the ground began to tremble. Ebony and Morgana both detected an increasing magical presence. A hand pushed its way out of the ground. Within a few quick seconds a young woman had crawled out of the ground. Somehow Gwen and Arthur remanded oblivious to this. Continuous tears dripped from a face riddled with scars. Mattered blond hair dragged across the ground.

"Aw… her's is longer then mine." Ebony pouted.

"We found the Duchess." Morgana pointed out.

Arthur finally noticed, drawing his sword, he moved protectively in front of Morgana. "Stay behind me."

"The child is mine…" The Duchess gurgled, tilting her head, making herself look more deranged.

Before Arthur could launch into a speech, about why you shouldn't steal babies, Ebony stepped forward.

"Who did you lose?" She asked, with a calming voice.

"Everyone." Was the reply.

"Okay, I'm sorry for your loss. Is there a way we can talk about this? Like, instead of you attacking?"

"Information unknown."

"What does that mean?" Gwen asked, trying to ignore an ominous feeling.

"Well, this is Merlin's mind, yes? So, everything must correspond with what Merlin knows."

"And I'm guessing Merlin doesn't know." Morgana sighed, rolling her eyes.

The Duchess eyes began to glow a dirty gold. Her hands raised as a ball of energy began to grow around her. She chanted words of magic loudly and fiercely.

"Which means negotiating is out of the question." The hairs stood up on the back of Ebony's neck. "Which also means… RUN!"

Grabbing Gwen's arm she sprinted off, pulling the maid with her. Morgana backed away, trying to force down primal fear. Her head ached as visions began to stream before her eyes. With a cry of warning to Arthur she turned and ran.

Arthur advanced upon the Duchess, turning his sword in his hand, sweat appearing on his brow. He slashed his sword at her. A cut appeared, which immediately healed up. "Okay that's not helpful."

The magic energy slammed down, throwing Arthur back. The pendent hummed, in a way that was both, disconcerting and comforting. The Duchess roared and began her attack again. Ebony appeared at Arthur side and began to help him up. "What part of run do you not understand?" She shouted angrily at him.

"Go to the others." Arthur's head was spinning. "I'll be fine. Get to safety."

"No! You get to safety! I'll handle this!"

"If you could handle this, then why did you run?"

A second blast of energy, wider than the last, sent them both flying through the air. "That was a lie, if I try to handle this by myself I'll die." The pendent around her neck hummed in agreement. "So how about we fight this thing… together."

"Why would I work with a sorceress?" Arthur snarled.

"Because if we don't get rid of this lunatic, she go after Gwen and smirky-face. And once we all wake up… Merlin has no chance of survival."

"… Okay."

They both stood to their feet. With a wave of Ebony's hand, Arthur's sword was coated in blue flames. "The weakness of every magic user is being distracted. Once our attention leaves the spell we're casting, we become vulnerable. So…" Ebony pulled a spoon out of her sleeve. "Get as close as you can and when I give the signal."

There was no need for Ebony to finnish her sentence. For the first time in over twenty years, a magic user and a Pendragon, understood each other perfectly. Arthur charged towards the Duchess. The rage filled golden eyes turned on the prince. Before she could attack, a silver spoon hit her in the face. The Duchess's defence lowered, Arthur's sword sliced into her. Staggering back, she howled like a wild animal. A second attack from the sword and a perfectly timed fireball, and the Duchess was defeated.

Arthur's sword went back to normal and he sheathed it. "Come on, let's go find the others."

He looked back, to see Ebony staring into the Duchess's lifeless eyes. Slowly she reached out and closed them.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten- The Baby.

I do not own Merlin.

* * *

Morgana dropped to the ground panting. What the hell was that? She felt nauseous and the forest spun around her. Colours and voices came from nowhere, pushing at her. She closed her eyes but, the images were behind her eyes too, begging for attention. It was almost like… "Morgana!" Gwen's voice cut through like a knife.

The seer rose to her feet, cold green eyes meeting with worried brown ones. Gwen was leaning against a tree, the baby held in her arms. They were surrounded by unfamiliar trees. Rushing water was heard in the distance. "Where's Arthur and Ebony?" The servant asked, full of concern.

Against her will, Morgana also became worried. She had told Arthur to run! If she had felt intimidated by that freak, the prince wouldn't have a chance. The baby, sensing the two women's distress began to cry out. Gwen shushed the child and began to rock it. Suddenly a sound they had all heard since arriving became louder. Leaves crunched as Ebony came into view, wielding a stringed instrument. "Look, I found where the music was coming from!" She announced, grinning ear to ear. "Any requests?"

"Yeah, shut up." Arthur suggested.

Ebony frowned and stuck her tongue out childishly. Gwen pushed the child into Morgana's arms and bear-hugged Arthur. He blinked in surprise. They quickly pulled away from each other blushing.

"Hey," The 'she warlock' mumbled, her eyes to the trees. "Is there something going on between those two?"

"Definitely, I've seen them kiss." A voice answered her.

Sitting lazily on a branch, was the cat-not-Merlin. "Not me specifically but, there was a sighting." Pulling two flowers out of nowhere, he pressed their heads together. As if to mime the kiss.

Arthur blushed furiously and glared up at the smiling man. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Next time you sneak into an 'empty' room… make sure nobody's trapped in the closet." He advised.

"Trapped in the closet? How did that even happen?" Gwen asked.

"Long story. You'ed better go and deliver the small one, to the sightly less small one." Suddenly his expression changed and he jumped from the tree.

Landing without a sound he strode over to Morgana. He pressed his hand against her forehead. His eyes stared into hers, searching for something. "Are you okay?"

If Morgana was honest she would say, she didn't know. Her head had been aching, until they had made contact. Instead she fixed him with a cold glare. "I'm fine." She pushed away his hand.

Cat-not-Merlin pouted, turning away from her, tail slashing through the air. He pointed off into the distance. "Go that way and you will find what you're looking for."

* * *

Hunith wept silently, rocking back and forth in the candlelight. She was facing every mother's worst nightmare. But she dare not leave the village, it was impossible. No one cared about her loss.

There was a tap at the door. Soft and gentle, like the knocker was unsure of themselves. Hunith rubbed her eyes and rose. Her door creaked open. A young girl, about four, stood there. Her arm bore a druids mark and her curly brown hair framed her face. In her arms was… "My son!" Hunith gasped, snatching her sleeping firstborn into her arms. "Oh, thank you."

"That woman won't bother you anymore." The little girl said. "Your child resisted her. He is very powerful and seems to enjoy fire. My camp will offer him refuge."

The mother frowned. "What do you mean refuge?"

"To nurture him and train him. There is a great destiny ahead of him."

She hugged him closer. "I will raise him. Merlin stays with me. We all stay together."

The girl stared up in wonder. "Is that his name, Merlin?" She took his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you Merlin, my name is Freya. I hope we meet again."

And with that she was gone. A baby began to cry.

* * *

The directions were accurate and they soon arrived at the table. Well, what was left of the table. The whole thing had been flipped on it's side. Plates and bowls were smashed into pieces. The blindfolded-not-Merlin sat calmly on a chair, eating a strawberry.

A blue door was growing out of a nearby tree. "The baby." He whispered.

Morgana stalked forward and placed the bundle in the boy's arms. The door clicked open. The cloth holding the infant began to rip. Everyone gasped. At some point during their journey, the baby had transformed into a… dragon! Blindfolded-child-not-Merlin, stood on his chair. He held the baby dragon dramatically over his head. "Baby."

Ebony placed her hand on Arthur's shoulder, making him jerk away. "Let's not question the logic." She smiled. "Besides, it's cute!"

Arthur, Gwen and Ebony headed towards the door. Morgana however hesitated, looking around. "Where are the other two?" She asked, the boy.

"Gone."

"Gone where?" She snapped.

The baby dragon had latched onto his back, making it look like he had dragon wings. Despite his blindfold, Morgana felt like he was staring at her.

"Gone." He repeated.

* * *

I felt like I needed to explain how Hunith got Merlin back. That was the best I come up with. Hooray for people who don't plan ahead!

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